Torvill to take on Dean on the Strictly dance floor

Dancing On Ice stars Torvill and Dean are swapping the rink for the ballroom in a Strictly Come Dancing special - against each other.

The duo, whose ITV show is being axed after the next series, will be taking part in a one-off performance for the BBC's Children in Need appeal next month.

Figure skating champions Christopher Dean and Jayne Torvill are pairing up with James Jordan and Aliona Vilani from Strictly to perfect their routine.

The duo have had a week to learn a routine, performing to a medley of tunes including Let's Face The Music And Dance, which was the accompaniment to their bronze-winning performance at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer.

It is thought to be the first time they have competed against one another in a dance contest and they will each be aiming to lift a glitterball in the shape of Pudsey Bear.

Their dance-off will be screened during the Children in Need appeal show on November 15, which will feature further dancing with the cast of EastEnders performing a range of styles including a routine live from Albert Square.

The evening-long broadcast will also include appearances from One Direction, the cast of Call The Midwife and a Doctor Who segment. Frank Skinner will host a children's edition of Room 101 and chart acts such as JLS, Tinie Tempah and Ellie Goulding are also to be guests.

Children in Need will be hosted once again by Sir Terry Wogan, along with Tess Daly, Fearne Cotton, Zoe Ball and Nick Grimshaw.

Patrick McLennan

Patrick McLennan is a London-based journalist and documentary maker who has worked as a writer, sub-editor, digital editor and TV producer in the UK and New Zealand. His CV includes spells as a news producer at the BBC and TVNZ, as well as web editor for Time Inc UK. He has produced TV news and entertainment features on personalities as diverse as Nick Cave, Tom Hardy, Clive James, Jodie Marsh and Kevin Bacon and he co-produced and directed The Ponds, which has screened in UK cinemas, BBC Four and is currently available on Netflix. 


An entertainment writer with a diverse taste in TV and film, he lists Seinfeld, The Sopranos, The Chase, The Thick of It and Detectorists among his favourite shows, but steers well clear of most sci-fi.